Clutch for conveying rotary motion



Feb. 26, 1929.

J. L. RUSHTON CLUTCH FOR CONVEYING ROTARY MOTION Filed Oct. 12, 1926 Patented Feb. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES amen PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES LEVER RUSHTON, OF BOLTON, ENGLAND.

CLUTCH FOR CONVEYING ROTARY MOTION.

Application filed October 12, 1926, Serial No. 141,120, and in Great Britain December 22, 1825.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to clutches for conveying rotary motion, and is concerned with clutches of the type having one or more clutching members which rotate and are caused by centrifugal force to more into clutching position, such clutching members usually having frictional clutching surfaces and being consequently adapted to allow slip or lost motion under excessive stress. The invention is particularly applicable for use in the driving gear of spinning boxes in centrifugal spinning machines as used in the manufacture of artificial silk, but it is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to this particular use.

The invention has for one of its objects to provide a simple construction of clutching mechanism which will permit any individual spinning box to be easily stopped and restarted without interfering with the drive to any other boxes which may be driven from the same main shaft. It is also an object of theinvention to provide a construction which shall be reliable and eflicientin use and not liable to be readily deranged.

According to the primary feature of the present invention there is provided clutching mechanism comprising in combination a centrifugal clutch of the type above described,

a main driving shaft and a controlling member adapted to cause or interrupt at will the transmission of drive from the shaft to the centrifugally-operatcd members 'of the so clutch. This controlling member may take a variety of forms but preferably it takes the form of a clutch located between the main driving shaft and the centrifugal clutch and adapted to transmit the drive from the for- 40 mer to the latter, that is to say the drive from the main shaft actually passes through the controlling clutch. The main drivin may have a plurality of centrifugal c utches located alon its length and a correspondin plurality of controlling members allocate one to each centrifugal clutch, this bein a construction which is particularly applica le to artificial silk spinning machines.

According to another feature of the invention the aforesaid controlling member engages the centrifugal clutch to cause the drive thereof, but is so located in relatlon to the centrifugal clutch as only to engage such parts of the latter as have their setting un-- altered when 0 erative centrifu a] force is developed in the centrifugal c utch. The

shaft purpose of this arrangement is to render the mechanism light in operation, since the operator will not have to overcome centrifugal force 111 bringing the centrifugal clutch out of operation.

In one constructional form according to the invention the controlling member takes the form of a slidable dog clutch member which is fixed as regards rotation with the mam driving shaft and is so arranged relatively to the centrifugal clutch that its dog or dogs can be brought into or out of en agement with that portion of the centrifugal clutch which carries the centrifugally-opcrated clutching members. member ma means which operative settings.

It is preferred that the centrifugal clutch shall comprise a spider which is loosely mounted upon the main shaft and carries the centrifugally-opcrated clutching members, and is further so located that its arms can he engaged b Y a clutching dog slidable alo the main 5 aft. The centrifugally-opemt d clutching members may take the form of segments which for their radial movement are guided between the arms of the spider and which have extensions received between said arms and an overlying member (for ex ample the driven member of the centrifn clutch) to prevent dis lacement of the segments along the axis of the main shaft.

have combined with it loca The slidable dog determine its operative and in -L For a more complete understandings; the Q y invention there will now be descrl way of example only and with referenceto the accompan ng drawings, one constructional form 0 ent invention. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not restricted to the precise constructional details set forth.

In these drawings.

Figure 1 is-an outside elevational view of a air of clutches according to the invention.

igure 2 isan elevational view, pa in section, of one of the clutches shown in igure 1. Figure 2 is on a scale larger than that of Figure 1. i Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the section line 3-3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the centrifugal clutching members. 1

Like reference numerals indicate like parts throu bout the drawings.

clutch according to the pres- Y 1 Re erring to Figure 1, the main shaft 10 '3 shown therein as having secured upon it two sleeves 11 (one hidden) whereof one end of each is split and embraced by a clamp 12. Two clutches are mounted about these sleeves 11 and there is a central separating member 13 mounted upon the shaft 10. The mechanism between the separating member 13 and one clamping member 12 is similar to that between the separating member and the other clamping member 12.

Referring also to Figures 2-4, each sleeve 11 has a key 14 secured in its outer surface, which key receives a longitudinally slidable dog clutching member 15 having a pair of flanges 16 for the reception of the forked end 17 of a controlling lever, such forexamplc as is described in my copending application, Serial No. 116,139. In the outer surface of the key 14, two depressions 18 and 19 are formed with which a spring-prcsscd ball 20 carried by the member 15 can engage. \Vhen the ball 20 is in the depression 18 the member 15 is in its engaged position, and when the ball 20 is in the depression 19 the member 15 is in its disengaged position. Owing to the spring-pressure upon the ball 20 there is a certain amount of resistance to displacement of the member 15. Facing along the shaft 10, the member 15 carries four dogs 21 which are adapted to engage the four arms of a spider which is loosely mounted upon the sleeve 11. This spider has an extension 23 from its face remote from the member 15, upon which extension 23 a casing 24 is rotatably mounted, there being an interposed anti-friction lining 25. The casing 2e carries a sprocket wheel-"26 and also has a flange 27 which overhangs the outer ends of the arms 22 of the spider, T he said arms 22 each terminate in branches 28 which are so disposed that the adjacent branches on two adj aeent arms have opposed parallel faces. Between these opposed faces four centrifugallyoperated clutching segments 29 are housed so as to be guided into and out of operative, clutching position. The segments 29 have extensions 30 which are received at the back of the branches 28 between the latter and the casing 24. In this way the segments are prevented from being displaced in the direction parallel to the axis of the shaft 10 but are left free to move radially under the influence of centrifugal force. The segments 29 also have friction pads 31 on their outer curved surfaces which are intended to engage the flange 27 and drive the casing 24 and with it its sprocket wheel 26.

In operation, to commence the drive of the centrifugal clutch, the operator moves the fork 17 to slide the member 15 so that its dogs 21 shall come into engagement with the spider arms 22. The spider then rotates with the main shaft 10 and centrifugal force causes the segments 29 to fly outwards and bear against the flange 27 of the casing 24.

In this way the drive is transmitted to the overcome is that of friction, since the dogs 21 do not engage any of the parts of the centrifugal clutch which are movable in position under the influence of centrifugal force. In other words, the operator does not have to overcome centrifugal force. Furthermore, when the member 15 is moved into its operative position, its dogs 21 only come into engagement with the spider arms 22. The spider is an element which is comparatively light in construction and only carries the segments 29. The total inertia to be overcome is thus but small and it therefore follows that the control of the centrifugal clutch is but light work for the operator.

It is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to the precise constructional details set forth.

I claim 1. Clutehing mechanism comprising in combination a centrifugal clutch of. the type described, a main driving shaft and a controlling member mounted on the main driving shaft to turn therewith and adapted to cause or interrupt at will the transmission of drive from the shaft to the centrifugally-opcrated members of the clutch, which controlling member is slidablc towards and from that part of the clutch which carries the centrifugally operated members to connect therewith and drive it and thereby cause the centrifugally operated members to move into clutching position.

2. Clutching mechanism. comprising in combination a centrifugal clutch of the type described, a main driving shaft, a slidable dog clutch member which. is fixed asregards rotation with the main driving shaft and means whereby said dog clutch member can be moved relatively to the centrifugal clutch so that its dogs' can be brought into and out of engagement with that portion of the centrifugal clutch which carries the centrifugally-operated clutching members.

8. Clutching mechanism comprising a main shaft, a centrifugal clutch of the type described mounted on said shaft, said clutch comprising a spider w t arms which spider is loosely mounted upon the main shaft and carries the centrifugally-operated clutching members, and a slidable dog clutch member which is fixed as regards rotation with the main driving shaft and is so arranged that its dogs can be brought into and out of engagement with the arms of the said spider.

4. Clutching mechanism comprising in combination a centrifugal clutch of the type described, a'main driving shaft, a slidable dog clutch member which is fixed as regards ment with the arms of so arranged relatively to the centrifugal clutch that its dogs can be brought into and out of engagement with that portion of the centrifugal clutch which carries'the centrifugally-operated clutching members, and locating means combined with the dog clutch member to determine its operative and its inoperative settings.

5. Clutching mechanism comprising in combination a centrifugal clutch of the type described, a main driving shaft, a slidable dog clutch member which is fixed as regards rotation with the main driving shaft and is so arranged relatively to the centrifugal clutch that its dogs can be brought into and out of engagement with that portion of the centrifugal clutch which carries the centrifugally-operated clutching members, and locating means combined wit-h the dog clutch member to determine its operative andits inoperative settings, said locating means comprising a s ring-pressed ball memberco-operatin wit recesses.

6. lutching mechanism comprising a main shaft, acentrifugal clutch of the type described mounted on said shaft, said clutch comprising a spider which is loosely mounted upon the main shaft and centrifugally-operating clutching segments which for their radial movement are guided between the arms of the spider and which have extensions received behind said arms ment of thesegments along the axis vof the main shaft, and a slidable dog clutch member which is fixed as regards rotation with the main driving shaft and is so arranged that its dogs can be brought into and out of engagethe said spider.

7. Clutching mechanism comprising a main shaft, a centrifugal clutch of the type from, and

to prevent displace described mounted on said shaft, said clutch comprising a spider which is loosely mounted upon the main shaft, 9. member overlying the arms of the spider but spaced away therecentrifugally-operating clutching segments which for their radial movement are guided between the arms of the spider and which have extensions received between the said spider arms and the overlying member to revent displacement of the segments along t e axis of the main shaft, and a slidable dog clutch member which is fixed as regards rotation with the main driving shaft and is so arranged that its dogs can be brought into and out of engagement with the arms of the said spider.

8. Clutching mechanism comprising a main shaft, a centrifugal clutch of the type described mounted on said shaft, said clutch comprising a spider which is loosely mounted upon the main shaft, a member overlying the arms of the spider and constituting the driven member of the centrifugal clutch, said member being spaced away from the arms of the spider, and centrifugally-operatin clutching segments which for their radia movement are guided between the arms of the spider and are caused by centrifugal force to bear against a portion of the said overlyingmember and which have extensions received between the said spider arms and the overlying member to revent displacement of the segments along t e axis of the main shaft, and a slidable dog clutch member which is fixed as regards rotation with the main driving shaft and is so arranged that its dogs can be brought into and out of engagement with the arms of the said s ider.

-In testimon whereo I aflix m si ature. JA LEVER RUH%N.- 

